Almost 1.3 million Ukrainian refugees have come to Germany since Russia launched its war of aggression in February 2022. At the start of October 2025, the central register of foreign nationals recorded 1,293,672 individuals who had been granted temporary protection since the war began. Until recently, the majority were Ukrainian women with children, or pensioners. Now, though, large numbers of men under the age of 22 have begun to arrive.

This is because Ukraine's government has changed the rules on who is permitted to cross the border. Since August 28, restrictions have been lifted on men aged between 18 and 22 leaving the country. This has led to a huge rise in the number of Ukrainian men in this age group registering in Germany: From around 100 a week to almost 1,000, according to the German Interior Ministry.

New influx of Ukrainian refugees?

The Ukrainian Consulting Center in Berlin confirmed that, since September, it has seen a big increase in the number of young men seeking its support.

"Before that, young men in this age [group] were not so much represented among the people whom we help," said Elina Waehner, the center's coordinator. She explains that the advice center held more than 440 consultations in September, and that 13% of them were with young men in this category. It's a significant increase on the summer, when they made up only 0.1% of the total.

Some of these young people go straight to the reception center for immigrants, while others initially stay with friends or relatives in Germany. The advice center comments that the young men are unusual in that they have a "relatively high level of education." Most of them want to obtain temporary protection to secure their right to stay in Germany; then they can apply to study, or look for a job.

Building a future in Germany

Giving men under 22 permission to leave the country provoked a mixed reaction. Critics say Ukraine cannot afford to lose its young generation, especially in times of mobilization. On social media, young men who leave the country are often reviled as "deserters" or "traitors."

"All my friends in Ukraine are happy for me," says Maksym, adding: "Not even the ones serving in the Ukrainian army have said I'm abandoning the country and ought to fight."

When he left Ukraine, Maksym says, there were only a few men his age on the bus. He comments that anyone taking this step sees it as an opportunity, but he said is prepared to return if integrating abroad proves too difficult. He believes that the things people learn in Germany can be put to good use if they do go back to Ukraine.

Serhiy said there were eight other young men on his bus, and they were all very happy after they got through passport control.

"Once we were through, everyone shouted: Hurrah, we did it!" he says.

NOVEMBER 9, 2025 12:20 PM CET
BY GIOVANNA FAGGIONATOSlovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that his country will oppose using Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine's defense spending, speaking with Slovakian public broadcaster STVR on Saturday.

“Slovakia won’t take part in any legal or financial schemes to seize frozen assets if those funds would be spent on military costs in Ukraine,” Fico said, Bloomberg reported, citing the interview with STVR.

The EU is trying to agree on a plan to use revenues from immobilized Russian assets to provide a €140 billion loan to Ukraine, without seizing the assets. The EU plan is crucial as the International Monetary Fund is concerned about Kyiv's public finances, and even IMF aid depends on the EU's support.

The European Commission is struggling to overcome concerns about the financial and legal risks the move could entail, especially from Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are housed. A meeting between EU and Belgian officials failed to find a deal on Friday, Euronews reported.

Views on whether the funds should be used for military costs also vary across the bloc.

Slovakia's Fico has a track record of opposing the EU's moves against Moscow and taking advantage of the leverage. He has threatened many times to block EU sanctions against Russia, trading his potential veto for concessions on other issues.

The EU plans to ensurethe loan to Ukraine through EU countries' guarantees and, in a second step, through a guarantee in the next EU budget, which would require unanimity. But other options, such as direct grants to Ukraine, are considered even less politically feasible.

EU leaders are set to discuss the issue at their December meeting.

In September 2025, the European Union approved the largest number of applications for temporary protection for Ukrainians in the past two years. In particular, 79,205 applications were approved, which is 49% higher than the figure for August, according to Die Zeit.

The publication reports that, according to Eurostat data, the sharp increase in applications for temporary protection is linked to the Ukrainian government's decision to permit men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country.

As a result, the demographic composition of Ukrainian refugees has changed significantly:

• In September, the share of adult men among refugees rose to 47%;
  
• For the first time, men outnumbered women (their share was 31%);
  
• The share of minors amounted to 22%.
  

As of the end of September, 4.3 million Ukrainians with temporary protection status were residing in European Union countries. This status is granted to citizens who cannot immediately return to their country, in accordance with the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which was first applied after Russia's full-scale invasion.

The EU Council extended the special protection status for Ukrainians until March 4, 2027. The largest number of Ukrainian citizens seeking protection is in Germany — 1.2 million (28% of the total). A slightly smaller number are in Poland — 1 million people (23.5%).

The Irish government has reduced the period of stay for newly arrived Ukrainians in state-provided accommodation from 90 to 30 days. This decision was made to ensure housing for everyone arriving in the country seeking protection